Flipped Sideways
by Aiwethryne
Summary: Lloyd is taken care of by Altessa on the Tethe'alla side. Unforseen circumstances bring him to a new place where his adventure truly begins. CHAPTER 6 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Heh heh heh… I have always wanted to make a fic like this. Enjoy!**

_Under the Moonlit Sky_

Three figures ran through the night. A crimson-haired man led the way while a brown-haired woman holding a small child and a large animal with fan-like ears followed. The tall grass swayed in the wind near the trees as they proceeded forward.

"How did he and his men pass into this world?" The woman frantically asked, trying to keep up.

The man looked behind him and replied. "Probably the same way we got here." He was not too thrilled about it either.

The child squirmed in the woman's arms. "Mommy? Daddy? Where are we?" He asked innocently. His messy brown hair covered his two huge red-amber orbs.

The boy's mother asked her husband as well. "Yes. Where are we again?"

The man scanned the area. "Around a secluded town called Ozette. We should be nearing it soon." He paused. "But we need to hurry!" He quickened his pace.

"Why?" The woman asked alerted. "Do you think they may know where we're headed?" The green and white animal whined loudly.

"LIGHTNING!" An unknown voice shouted. A burst of electricity fell from the sky and landed in front of them. "Hahahahaaa… You thought you could get away that easily?" The male voice cackled.

The family and their pet continued their efforts to get away. Their pursuers constantly bombarded them with magic.

Under the crimson-haired man's voice, he began to chant. Then beams of blinding light rained from above, instantly killing a few of the men that they were fleeing from. In the distance, the woman could see the silhouette of a village.

"Kratos!" She called. He saw it too. A blue light appeared around his body. Then two translucent sapphire wings unfurled from his back. He grabbed his wife and child and rose into the sky.

Kratos looked to the ground. "Noishe! Hurry on ahead!" The loyal pet galloped faster.

Kratos tried his best to dodge each attack while still holding on to his family. But the barrage of attacks was too much. He was struck down by a jolt of electricity. They plummeted to the earth, but Kratos was able to prevent them from receiving too much injury.

Suddenly, they were surrounded. A white-haired man with pointed ears and menacing eyes came forward. "Hmmm… You have all caused me much grief. Now I am here to reclaim what you stole from me." He stepped closer. "Anna… You stupid girl. Going around with no real understanding of what you have. And you inferior little wrench will now suffer."

"Kvar!" The red head shouted. "If you harm them, I swear…" He hissed, balling his fist.

"Now, now, Kratos." Kvar began. "I won't only harm her," he grabbed Anna by force. "But I'll harm you." He tugged on Anna's left arm and pulled off the red crystal from her hand.

"NO!" Kvar's soldiers restrained the weakened Kratos. Lloyd was left crying on the grass. Anna fell onto the dirt. Her body glowed a violent red as it began to mutate. She let out a piercing scream of agony. Her skin turned into a scaly green and her hands began to bulge. Then a white flash came from her body.

After everyone regained their sight, the transformation was complete. She was a monster. "No… Anna…" Kratos stared in disbelief.

Her arms flung around with no control. She knocked down some of Kvar's men and unleashed an unprecedented amount of mana.

Kratos desperately warded off the half-elven soldiers, slashing them away with his mighty Flamberge. His wife continued her rampage, but he was unable to do anything to her. He could not hurt the person he loved. He could not do it. Then Anna indiscriminately turned on her 3 year old child. The little boy cried at the top of his lungs as the monster that was really his mother tried to give him injury.

A green and white blur hit the monster. She dropped Lloyd, who safely landed on Noishe who just appeared. The large animal growled at the monster and bit her with his sharp teeth. She swung her massive arm at the dog-like thing. Noishe was tossed to the side and whined with pain.

Kratos was now face to face with the monster Anna had become. "Anna! Anna… I… I can't fight you…"

The monster struggled to move. Anna was somehow able to take temporary control. She attempted to speak. Her voice wavered and cracked. "_K-Krat-tos… Kill me… Please… You… have to…_"

"N-no… I can't kill you…" He was left immobilized.

"_Kill me… before I can hurt our son… I don't want to hurt you… Please, Kratos!_"

Kratos tightened his grip on his sword. "Anna… I'm sorry… I-I can't."

Anna went out of control again. She attacked Kratos. Kratos only guarded against her blows. She again turned on Lloyd. Kratos could not let him die. He rushed in front of his defenseless son and had no choice. He drove his sword through the monster. Anna fell on her side, lifelessly. She turned back to human form.

Kvar chuckled with amusement as he watched from a distance. He smirked evilly and ordered his troops to kill the rest of them.

Kratos neared his wife. He could still hear a small pulse from her heart. She was just barely staying alive. Kratos saw her exsphere resting near her body and picked it up. He knew he must get them away from there. He hastily grabbed Lloyd in one arm and Anna in the other. He took out his wings once more and took off.

The half-elves threw a flurry of attacks into the sky. Noishe rose to his feet and rammed himself into the men. He took off shortly after and tried to catch up with his human friends.

Some of Kvar's minions were far up ahead, sending powerful simultaneous waves of attacks at the family.

Anna was slowly regaining consciousness. Everything was a blur to her. She could feel the wind rush against her face. Almost inaudibly, she whispered her husband's name. With all of the chaos happening, he did not seem to hear her, no matter how well his angelic ears were. Anna's eyes closed once more and she blacked out.

Kratos flapped his wings harder. It was difficult enough to evade attacks mid-air, but he was carrying an unconscious woman and a child that had no idea what was going on. He was contemplating on where he should go. It passed through his mind that he should dive down into the forest below, but it was too risky. He even sent his own spells at the soldiers. But they just kept coming. All he could hope for was that they could lose the trailing men somehow.

Kratos was wearing out quickly. He heavily panted as he pushed forward. Ozette would soon be below them, but he knew it was unwise to stop there.

After a matter of seconds after he flew right over Ozette, an arrow flew into Kratos's arm. He flinched and tried to re-steady himself in the air, but more projectiles struck him. Another arrow pierced his arm, causing him to lose hold of both Anna and Lloyd. The shining crystal fell along with them. "No!" He shouted.

Ignoring the pain, he swooped down to catch the falling figures.

The half-elves took this opportunity to close in and take down the winged man. A multitude of attacks knocked Kratos far to the side, allowing Anna and Lloyd to drop into the cover of the trees.

"LLOYD! ANNA!" He hurried to that area of the forest.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At the forest floor, Anna laid on her side, a pool of blood surrounded her body. Lloyd was wailing over his mother. His eyes were pouring with tears and his face was red. Anna tried to comfort him.

"D-Don't worry Lloyd. E-Everything will be o-okay." She coughed up some blood. "Daddy will be c-coming s-soon. I-It's going to be all right." Lloyd only cried louder.

In the distance, a whine could be heard. Noishe had found them. He had an injured leg that was stained red. He crouched next to Anna and whimpered next to her. He rubbed his muzzle on her reddened clothes.

There was a slight rustle of dry leaves and twigs. Then a dwarf wearing green and a nearly completed human-shaped robot came into view.

"Oh my…" The grey-haired dwarf uttered. He kneeled beside Anna and quickly examined her. "Tabatha!" He called the robot.

Tabatha robotically walked to the dwarf. "HOW MAY I BE OF SERVICE MASTER?" Her feminine mechanical voice asked. Her visibly uncompleted body parts shined in the moonlight.

The dwarf looked at the doll. "We must get this woman to the house!" He looked back to Anna. "Wh-What happened?" He brusquely asked.

"Desians… want my exsphere…"

The dwarf gave a questioning look. "Desians? …They aren't from…" He picked up the red gem. "And an exsphere…"

Anna wheezed, "P-Please help Lloyd… my son… Take care… of… him…"

"Oh, no… Tabatha! Help me carry this woman!" The two lifted Anna gently. Lloyd was still crying. Noishe picked the boy up with his teeth and placed him on his back. They began to walk out of the forest.

Once they entered the dwarf's stone home, he and Tabatha set Anna on a bed. Her labored breathing was slowing at every breath she made. Lloyd was with Noishe, quietly seated by the entrance. The 3 year old stared sadly at the stone floor.

Tabatha was sent to get medical supplies, though Anna's chances of living were slim.

The dwarf sat next to the ailing Anna. "You are aware that you may not…"

"Yes. I know." She let out no more than a whisper. "If I don't survive, I want you to take care of Lloyd… for when my…" She started to heavily gasp for air.

"Miss! …I'm sorry, what is your name? I am Altessa."

"Anna… Irving- Au…" She began to drift away. Her eyelids were becoming heavy.

"Tabatha! We're losing her! Come! Quickly!" The robot appeared.

Tabatha attempted to clot the stab wound to stop the blood. She gave Anna a few gels too. But it was not enough. After a few moments, Anna's breathing ceased. Altessa felt for a pulse. He could not find one. "…Tabatha… Get a cloth and drape it over her. I do not want the boy to see." Altessa solemnly sat in silence as Tabatha did as she was told.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Our crimson-haired man ran around shouting the names of his family. He pulled out the arrows embedded in his skin and swore to himself.

"LLOYD! ANNA!" Kratos was frantically scouring the part of the forest he saw his wife and child land. His ears picked up lots of shouting coming his way. "I don't have time for this." He stressed. Kvar's men were going to come and find him.

They came and fought him with their own swords. As angry as he was, Kratos slaughtered them all. He wanted them to feel the pain Anna must have been experiencing. Anna… He had to find her and their child.

He continued his search. There was no sign of them. But soon enough, he found a patch of blood-stained grass. "Anna… Lloyd… They must have been here. They could still be alive…"

He looked above him. The branches full of pine green leaves hung loosely, as if something fell through. Something gleamed in his eye. He took out his wings again and picked something from the tree. In the midst of the leaves was a golden locket. His eyes widened.

"This… is Anna's locket…" He opened it. His eyes misted over.

Kratos thought they could have been found by a passing villager in Ozette. He headed toward the town, unbeknownst to him that they were in the other direction, away from the forest. Even so, he searched through the isolated town. He asked people if they had seen them. There were no clues. They were gone. He broke down in tears.

Kratos felt he had no choice. Everything he held dear was taken from him. He had to go back to…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Tabatha," the dwarf began. "Go check on Lloyd."

"YES MASTER." She nodded and left the room.

Altessa opened his hand. He was still holding Anna's exsphere. "…"

The robot tended to the dog-like creature. Noishe's right hind leg was sprained. Tabatha cleaned away the blood from Noishe's fur. The young Lloyd stared at the mechanical girl.

"Is Mommy okay?" He was given no response. "Where is my daddy?" Tabatha seemed to ignore him for a moment.

She finally looked at him with her blank, green eyes. "IT IS LATE. YOU MUST GO TO SLEEP." Lloyd realized that he actually was sleepy. He yawned and curled up next to Noishe, who, too, yawned. They were in the land of dreams.

Tabatha walked back to Altessa. "LLOYD IS NOW ASLEEP."

"Good." The old dwarf said. "We must now make a proper grave for his mother."

Together, they dug a rectangular hole in the dirt outside of the house and carefully placed Anna's limp body inside. After covering her with soil, Altessa got two wooden boards and made them into a cross to mark the grave. He finely carved in Anna's name and the day's date into the wood. He then gathered freshly picked flowers and placed them on the mound of earth to pay his last respects.

The robot and her master reentered the house.

"Mommy? Mommy! Where are you?" Lloyd was wandering around the residence. Tears were about to stream out of his eyes. "Mommy…"

"Lloyd…" Altessa kneeled next to the boy to match his height. "Your mother… She is in a better place."

"But where is she?" The brown-haired boy scanned the room.

"…She's not here, Lloyd. I'm sorry." The child began to cry for his mother. But of course, his desperate pleas were not answered. Altessa told Tabatha to bring the boy to a bed and make sure he sleeps this time.

Lloyd eventually cried himself to sleep. Tabatha went to the dwarf's work area. He was sitting on a simple stool and studied the red crystal under a light. He finally noticed the robot standing there.

"That boy… He has been through a lot. I think it would be best if he stays here." He gazed back at Anna's crystal. "…I wonder…"

**Oh, that took forever to type. This chapter seemed to follow Anna's death. Chapter 2 will talk about Lloyd's childhood… And obviously there will be spoilers… Hm. This will be one of my more serious fics. Please keep reading! I wish for reviews of this story!!!**


	2. A Window in Time

**Chobits! Chobits! RA RA RA! I wanna cry with laughter (or just cry). I'm listening to TRC's OST right now. It's ominous music strengthens my whimsical writing ability (or maybe not, but I don't care). Well, chappie 2 is up! Another long thing to type for me, but it's worth it. Now to start.**

_A Window in Time_

"WHAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Lloyd screamed. Altessa scrambled about, fumbling over his own feet to find a way to calm the child he took in. Only two days, and he already knew he will have a difficult time ahead of him in raising this 3 year old boy. His heightening stress caused more hairs on his head to grey faster than ever.

As he ran across the spacious room to find something to make Lloyd happy, Noishe stretched and lazily walked around the house. He was free to roam almost wherever he pleased within the area. Of course, Altessa was too busy to really care what the animal was doing. Noishe yawned deeply, showing his amazingly white teeth. He laid back down next to the child that was having a fit.

Tabatha came over. She indifferently stared at the boy that cried in front of her and slowly blinked. Lloyd looked at her with his huge eyes and sniffled. Tabatha noticed he had stopped wailing.

"IT IS TIME FOR BREAKFAST." She moved toward the large pot in the corner of the room. She opened the lid and a delicious aroma escaped from the food inside. Lloyd watched in captivation, his eyes still red with tears.

He waddled up to her and inhaled the smells of what the female robot was preparing. He remained silenced as he sat still.

Altessa was immediately aware that the boy had quieted. He cautiously approached Lloyd and Tabatha so that he would not somehow make Lloyd explode into tears again.

"Tabatha… What are you cooking right now?" The dwarf made sure that the boy did not stick his hand into the mixture of food.

Tabatha continued to stir the contents in the pot. "I AM MAKING CURRY AT THE MOMENT. IT WILL BE READY SHORTLY."

Drool began to leak out of Lloyd's gaping mouth. "Ta… btha. Tabtha? I'm hungry…" (I know "Tabatha" is spelled wrong. Lloyd's still a kid of course.) His small stomach growled in confirmation.

Altessa patted Lloyd's tangled brown hair. "Why don't you go play with Noishe while Tabatha is cooking?" The little tyke nodded and made his way over to the pet, disturbing his rest.

The dwarf stroked his beard for a moment. "Hm… He is going to be quite a hassle, that boy… But look how he responded to food!" He softly chuckled and shook his head.

Once Lloyd had a fully satisfied stomach, he lounged next to Noishe and burped. His mind suddenly wandered to the days before. The small-bodied boy perked up to his feet and unsteadily walked to Altessa.

Altessa was in an arm chair, completely exhausted and relieved that ordeal was done with. He then heard the loud slaps of the bear footed boy running across the stone-grey floor. He sighed and prepared for Lloyd's arrival.

Lloyd nearly tripped over his feet. He came right up to the dwarf and tilted his body to the side. "…When will Daddy come?"

Altessa hoped he would not ask that again. "I don't know…" was all he could say.

"Is… Daddy not coming…?"

He did not know how to respond. "Um… Go and play with Noishe."

"Okay!" Lloyd woke up Noishe and made his carry him around.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lloyd was now 6. He caused even more mayhem in the household than before.

"Noishe! Catch!" He and Noishe were playing fetch with a long stick outside.

Lloyd's hair was a little longer and spikier now. Right now, he ran around the grass gleefully with his obedient green and white pet. Altessa watched from the window to make sure the boy was not doing anything bad. He had his own matters to attend to.

"…She should be coming soon…" The dwarf walked to his work area and put both elbows against the desk. He glanced to his right. It was still there. Altessa looked away from the table. "I wonder if he is ready for me to give this to him…"

Meanwhile, as Lloyd played around, a short girl with pink hair approached the grounds of the house. Her pigtails moved with the gentle wind. The forest around her seemed to silence, only to have the sound of her footsteps present.

Noishe stopped looking at Lloyd. He faced away from the stone house and whined.

"What is it, boy?" Lloyd asked as he turned the same direction as Noishe. There was the girl. She stopped in her tracks and blankly looked at the boy and the canine thing beside him.

"Is… Altessa home…?" No real emotion was reflected though her voice as she asked.

"Yeah. Dad's inside." Lloyd pointed at the entrance.

The petite girl slowly walked toward the house with her firm strides. Her purple dress looked somewhat old. Lloyd thought it was weird to have someone come over to this location. And he never remembered seeing her all the times he went to Ozette. He continued to stare and finally saw a red shimmer below the girl's neck.

The girl entered the building. As curious as Lloyd was, he and Noishe followed her.

Altessa had his back facing Lloyd and was talking to the pink-haired person near the door Lloyd had walked through. The girl merely nodded at what Altessa said.

"Dad? So we have a visitor today?"

"Oh, Lloyd!" Altessa turned. "This is Presea… She… just came back to Ozette a while ago. She will be… coming and going often."

Lloyd smiled. "Hello, Presea!" He stuck out his hand, expecting her to shake it. Presea just stared at him, almost as if she did not care.

"I will leave now…" Presea grabbed the doorknob to exit.

"Uh…" The brown-haired boy was disappointed. "Dad? Why didn't she really talk much?"

The dwarf did not answer. "…Um, Lloyd… I… have something to give to you."

Lloyd's eyes lit up. "What?!"

"Come with me Lloyd." The two went to Altessa's working table. "I want you to have this…" He gave the 6 year old the crystal he had kept.

"What is it, Dad?" Lloyd stared at the crystal that was placed in his hand.

"That is called and exsphere." He looked at Lloyd. "Think of your mother when you have it on…"

"Mom? …"

"It was hers you know."

"It was?" He looked at the crystal more when something struck him. "Hey! That Presea girl had one of these!" Altessa twitched.

"I will attach the crystal to you. I have made a key crest so you can wear it."

"A key crest? What's that?"

"You need it so that… Um… I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Sure!" Altessa placed the key crest on the exsphere and put the crystal on Lloyd's left hand. "Thanks a whole bunch, Dad!" The energetic kid ran back to Noishe and began playing again.

The dwarf closed his eyes and sighed. "I couldn't tell him again…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next day when the 6 year old got to the village to go to school, he saw… Presea.

"Hi, there!" He called out. The girl ignored him and entered the house next to her. "Huh? I thought that place was abandoned…" He decided to take a quick peek inside.

(Whew… I just had a break of approximately 7 hours and 30 minutes. And I don't have my music on anymore. If only my dad had more work at the moment…) Lloyd swiftly reached the door of the uncared for building. "Noishe, stay h-." The animal was gone. Lloyd shrugged and entered the house.

The wooden boards that held the house together were already breaking apart. It seemed like it was much darker in that house than the forest, with slivers of beams of light seldom found in the building. A rat scurried on past Lloyd and escaped from sight through a shadow in a corner. Cobwebs surrounded several objects, including a cup that was obviously left alone on a dining table for quite a while.

Lloyd watched where he stepped on the creaky floorboards. He was amazed how creepy this place was. Shuffling sounds were just up ahead. The boy curiously peered around the wall that blocked him from the pink-haired girl's sight. She was picking out books from a shelf and threw them onto a bed behind her. There was a peculiar shape that the covers of the bed took. Lloyd mustered enough courage to ask what Presea was doing there. He reviled himself from his hiding spot.

"Hey, Presea!" She did not look at him. "What are you doing here, Presea?" Lloyd walked next to the girl, who was surprisingly taller than he thought. That is, she was apparently taller than him. Presea remained un-phased.

Lloyd went over to the bed and was about to pick up a book. "No." Presea told him. "Please refrain from handling that reading material." Lloyd stepped back.

"So what'cha doin' here Presea?" She looked at him square in the eyes. Her green eyes looked as though she were in some sort of trance. She blinked like Tabatha would. No response left the girl's lips.

"Uh… Is there something wrong Presea?" Still nothing. Lloyd then looked at the bed again. Curiosity got the best of him. He lifted the sheet on the bed and gasped. A body lay dead on the bed.

"Pr-Presea?! It's a dead guy!" The grotesque sight freaked out the young boy. Presea continued to seem indifferent about the situation. Finally, she spoke up.

"I advise that you leave this household."

"B-But!"

"Please do so now."

Lloyd hesitantly complied. "O-Okay…"

On the porch of the building, Lloyd played back the events in his head over and over. Then he realized he was late for class. He rushed to the school house.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"YOU'RE LATE, LLOYD!" A wrinkled woman shouted as he entered the door. Her spectacles made her look deadly evil. Her primarily whitened hair was in a tight bun with a pencil stuck in it. Folding her arms, the old woman impatiently waited for an excuse. "Hm? So why were you late?"

"I'm sorry Ms. Weyden. I…" he made up something, "I had to help my dad. Yeah!"

"YOU LIE!" The brutally cranky old hag threw a textbook at him. "Now go to your seat. Now!"

As Lloyd seated himself, the older girl behind him chuckled. "She sure got you this time, twerp."

"Don't make fun of me, Rin!" The boy snapped. (Rin Tohsaka is a character in Fate stay night. I have the theme song stuck in my head, so I decided to give her a camio here.)

The teen girl poked at Lloyd's head to spite him. "Not a chance, kid." She brushed her wavy black hair behind her. "You are the weirdo here, right?" Another child entered the conversation and agreed.

"Raised by a dwarf. My daddy says you'll turn out bad like those stupid half-elves."

"He doesn't belong here." One more added.

"Yeah. This kid doesn't even have any friends!"

Lloyd tried to ignore their harmful words. He tried not to let it get to him.

Rin thought for a moment. "Oh, hasn't that girl who everyone says hasn't aged come back?" This caught Lloyd's attention.

"I think so, Tohsaka-san. They say she's back in that crummy old house near the forest."

"I heard that a demon took over her body, and now she's like a dummy."

"My mother said she is not a normal girl 'cuz she's got super-human strength! I think that's cool!"

"Nah, that's abnormal --. Scary!" The school children continued gossiping.

Finally, "BE QUITE, STUDENTS!" The old lady teacher broke a ruler in two and hissed, "Do the assignment given… OKAY?"

"Yes, Ms. Weyden." Everyone began working away, fearing her wrath.

Lloyd still could not help but think of that girl… Presea… What happened to her? …Why was she at his house a couple of days ago? …Are the rumors true? This was all too much for the 6 year old's brain.

**Hmmm… Well, I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor Fate stay night… When I had that quite lengthy pausing earlier, I was watching Fate stay night. I totally recommend you watch the anime. It's really good. Air is a great thing to watch too. Oh, and, I GOT TALES OF THE ABYSS TODAY!!! I'm so happy! I'll start playing it tomorrow! My mom considers this as an early birthday present for me. (She's trying to save money.) Anyway… REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! …Reviews please.**


	3. A Rude Awakening

**Usually I update my work every weekend, (my brother even accused me of spending my life here, now) but laze took me over for the however long of a time I did not write this story… Err… But please don't attempt to cyber-murder me. I am truly not that lazy, and I'll try to keep my typing efforts higher. Sorry for the trouble. Now I'm here and it's chapter 3! (I'm kinda drained of energy right now… Congested…)**

_A Rude Awakening_

The autumn leaves fell from the great oaks just outside the village and silently swirled about the few wooden houses in all their serenity. The flurry of rich, warming colors filled the dreary, darkened sky as the gleeful sound of the youth rang throughout with no avail. Students of varying ages spilled out into the dirt roads of the lifeless town once they were freed from their school-like prison of learning. After most fled home or hurried on to play, a young brown-haired boy mutely stepped through the simply framed wooden door of the schoolhouse at last. The 6 year old stared at his two small feet as he slowly made his way to where the edge of Ozette and the forest met. He looked to his right. There was Presea's run-down home. The boy had been afraid to set foot in that place where he last saw the pink-haired girl, so he distanced himself from it.

Out of nowhere, an over-sized creature playfully tackled the child to the ground, greeting him with several slobbery licks all over his face. "Aah, Noishe! Hi, boy." The green and white animal whined happily as he backed off wagging his green-tipped tail. The boy half-heartedly chuckled, "Let's go home now, Noishe." The pet cocked his head to the side and blinked. Then he panted with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and turned to begin walking through the leaf-covered forest floor. The brown-haired child quickly followed Noishe farther through their regular pathway home.

Lloyd did not seem to be in the mood to utter even a sound at the time. He continued walking through the path, almost oblivious to the foliage descending to the ground around him. He finally sighed, bringing him out of his shell. His red-amber pupils gazed to the path ahead, and he spotted a moving figure farther on the trail. He suspected it to be some passing animal searching for food, but as he and Noishe trudged on, he found it was not a foraging animal. It was Presea.

Her grey-gloved hand held an axe seemingly larger than her own small stature, and it also looked much heavier than what her own body could possibly weigh._ 'Wow. How can she carry that?'_ The boy pondered. She was heading toward the opposite direction of Noishe and himself, likely to Ozette. It also seemed as if Lloyd's presence had not been sensed by the girl as she passed him by.

Her two pink pigtails nearly brushed up against the young boy's face, but Lloyd ceased to react. His eyes briefly followed her move out of arm's reach and he resumed to walking. Neither said a word to one another. They minded themselves and went their respected ways. Noishe glanced at Lloyd in a puzzled manner and whined at him but was distracted when an orange-colored leaf landed on his nose. The brown-haired child was in an obvious deep thought. The only thing that rang though his brain was,_ 'Why is she like this…?'_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Home. Lloyd tipped his head to the side and let out a depressing sigh. As the brown-haired child pushed through the stone-grey door of the stone house, Tabatha lifted her milky green-haired head from her dusting chore. She faced the boy full open, her two hands still grasping the broom's long handle. "WELCOME HOME, LLOYD," the girl greeted.

"Hi, Tabatha." Lloyd responded plainly. His face held a saddened expression. Keeping a still stance, the anatomic girl's eyes did not stray from the child.

"HOW WAS SCHOOL?" She asked much to the 6 year-old's dismay. His eyes fell to the stone floor below his feet.

"…Not good, really…" he answered glumly. "I don't like it there. The other kids are always mean to me…"

Meanwhile, around the wall of Altessa's study, the dwarf remembered to ask something of Tabatha and was making his way to the living room, when he saw Lloyd speaking. Not wishing to interrupt, he stepped back and Lloyd continued.

"Tabatha…? Did you ever want to leave here and never come back?"

The robot spared no time replying. "I WAS NOT PROGRAMMED TO THINK OF SUCH QUESTIONS. I AM SORRY." Lloyd sighed as he began walking to his room.

"…I guess not, then…"

Tabatha stood perfectly still for a moment then angled her body toward Lloyd as he strode across the hard floor on to his room. "…WHY DO YOU ASK?"

Lloyd froze. He thought for a second, debating whether or not he should say. "…I… I… want to get away… No one likes me at school- no one likes me in Ozette- because I'm being raised by a dwarf… I don't want to be different from everyone else. I even sometimes wish that Dad didn't take me in, but…" He paused and turned to Tabatha. "Please… Don't tell Dad I told you this." While Tabatha blinked, Lloyd closed his mouth and left the room. But the boy's not wanting Altessa knowing what he had said was short-lived, seeing as how he was listening just around the corner.

The dwarf carefully carried himself back to the chair of his work area below. He lounged back against the cushioned seat with the new realization of what Lloyd really thought about his life in his care. He began to believe Lloyd thought it was his fault his life was like this. He believed he was the source of all Lloyd's grief. Altessa thought he did not deserve to be a parent, especially since he was a dwarf, and Lloyd was a human. The grey-haired dwarf closed his eyes to try to think of something else, but, alas, failed in doing so.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Nine years old_

"Lloyd…" Altessa held his arms to his back as he called over his son.

A taller, more spirited-looking boy with wild brown hair that was fuzzed out every which-way came up to the dwarf after just coming back from school. His plain clothing was ruffed up and marked with dirt to show that he had been playing irresponsibly in the grass outside. And it was his birthday today! Though nothing really special happens besides eating the wonderfully prepared food made by Tabatha and getting presents, Lloyd was still really happy nevertheless. "Yeah, Dad? What is it?" His voice was still quite high-pitched. His two red-amber eyes implored at his father.

"I have something for you, Lloyd. Here. Happy Birthday." Pulling out from the cover of the dwarf's back, were a pair of wooden swords.

"Awesome! Thanks, Dad!" The brown-haired boy exclaimed. He eagerly took them up and swung them in his hands. "So why are you giving these to me?"

Altessa patted Lloyd's head. "Ah, I thought you needed another hobby than skulking about all day. Do you like it?" Lloyd let out a toothy grin and nodded. He then jotted out the door with Noishe to practice with his new swords.

The dwarf stroked his beard. "He is so innocent, so childish, but the world is just too cruel… I wish I could be there to provide for him, but I do not think Ozette is the best influence for him." _Or has the ideal treatment toward him either…_

But the only thing that could bring this nine year old down that day was-.

"Hey doofus!" Lloyd turned to see a band of five children he hated all too well. They were all older than him and obviously stronger than him too. One boy looked like a sissy with his girly hair and pink skirt, and he pointed at Lloyd's swords. "Oooh! What're those supposed to be? Toothpicks? Ha! What a laugh!" He sounded as if he had peanutbutter stuck at the roof of his mouth.

Lloyd crunched his teeth together. "They're swords!"

"They sure ain't look like swords." They all gutted out a laugh.

Lloyd could not stand it, but he tried preventing an outburst. "Why are you here? How did you find where I live?" He demanded to know.

One rolled his eyes. "We followed you, duh. And we came to see how suckish your life really is. Maybe break some windows… trash your yard… What really mean people generally do to peoples' houses." The others nodded in agreement.

"Well you'll have to get through me first!" Lloyd held his wooden swords out in front of him. Noishe wanted to help too, so he showed his sharp, stark white teeth as he growled. The other boys yelled as they charged at their target, waving their fists in the air. But being as inexperienced with swords as he was (keeping in mind that he has only handled a sword starting that day), it was difficult for Lloyd on both the offensive as well as defensive. So to put it lightly, Lloyd failed. –Miserably.

The brown-haired boy was knocked back with a loud thud. With that entire racket being created outside, Altessa and Tabatha rushed out to see what was going on.

"What in the name of Goddess Martel are you all doing?!!!" The grey-haired dwarf caught sight of Lloyd collapsed on the ground with his swords at hand. "Oh, no. Lloyd!" Tabatha hastily rushed to the boy's aid.

The five trespassers glanced at one another. "Crap! It's the dwarf-man! Run away!" They fled the scene.

Altessa and Tabatha carried the bruised up boy to his bed, setting his twin blades beside him. The dwarf shook his head with more anger than disappointment. "Why did you take all of them on!?! You know you should not do that!" Lloyd looked away from both of his caretakers.

"…Even with my exsphere, I could not beat them…"

"Is that all you were thinking about?!! You could have been killed!" Altessa continued scolding him like any parent would.

"THE MASTER IS CORRECT. IT WAS NOT WISE TO FIGHT THEM, LLOYD."

Altessa stressfully arched his fingers over his forehead. _"I cannot let Lloyd get into all of this trouble! What can I do about this? Err…"_

Lloyd sat up in the bed, even though he was in much pain. Tabatha told him to lie back down, but he refused.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lloyd was going back to school a few days later after being forced to stay at home until his wounds were healed. He made the choice to never leave his house without his swords from now on since that event and to train to get better. He was determined to get better. Altessa made two sheaths for him to keep his weapons in that Lloyd wore on his belt, even though he did not exactly support his bringing of those wooden swords. But he was indeed fearful for the boy.

As Lloyd set foot into Ozette one day, he spotted a thinly crowded group of people in the center of town. _"I wonder if Presea is back again today? Haven't been seeing her at all lately…"_ He stepped near the people, and through the large gaps, he saw a black-cloaked person.

"Does anyone know where an _Altessa_ lives?" The person was apparently a male, as signified by his voice. But with a hood over his head, Lloyd could not make out what kind of person he may be. Lloyd's red-amber eyes trailed the man as he continued to ask around. Then a little girl with short brown pigtails walked up to the cloaked man and thrust her index finger directly toward Lloyd. The man nodded briefly at the girl and turned to the nine year old.

"Hello. I heard you are being raised by Altessa. Am I right?" His voice was slightly on the rough side, attempting to sound friendly.

"Yes. Why?"

"I have… business I would like your father to take part in. Would it be fine if you tell me where your house is?" Nothing suspicious passed through the brown-haired boy's mind, so he willingly told him. "Thank you… What is your name by the way?"

"Oh. I'm Lloyd. Lloyd Irving."

"Hm… Lloyd…" The man rubbed his thumb and forefinger against his chin. He then saw Lloyd's wooden hilts. "…I also see you like swords as well…" With this, the boy happily nodded. "…Well, good-bye, Lloyd."

Lloyd stared at the man as he began to turn to the right to leave. The boy kept his gaze locked on him, and he saw… blue hair? _"Who in the world would have blue hair?"_ He frowned for a moment. He looked up at the sun and gasped to his shock. "Uh-oh. I'm gonna be late for school again!" He darted off.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The students seemed to stare at Lloyd more since he had those swords hanging from his waist. That caused more gossip to spread about him, too. More people stayed away from him, having more of the impression of Lloyd being a "freak." Lloyd could hear the murmurs of the children all throughout the room. He felt like shouting to get his feelings through, but he could not. He sat miserably in his stool, hoping for school to end.

When it finally did, the brown-haired nine year old dashed out the door and waited for Noishe to arrive for him. As usual, the two went home with nothing overly important occurring on their way there.

Lloyd clicked the door open.

"No! Why would you ask me to do such a thing?!" It was his father… and that man from earlier. The visitor glanced at the boy standing by the door.

"Oh, Lloyd." The man's hood was to his back, reviling the rest of his head. He had back-length bright blue hair that was tied in a white hair tie. His right eye was slightly covered by his hair. Both of his emerald eyes looked at the boy step forward. Altessa faced Lloyd also.

"Ll-Lloyd. You're home."

"Hi, Dad. Do you know this guy?" the nine year old asked. Completely un-allowing Altessa to reply, the blue-haired man began talking himself.

"Well, then. Seeing as he is here, how about I make a proposition for you?"

The dwarf cringed. "How will I know if you are going to be legitimate about this _proposition_ of yours, Yuan?"

_Yuan_ let out a small chuckle. "You don't think you'll trust me?" Altessa did not answer. "Hm. Well here's my proposition." He first gave another glance to Lloyd. "…I'll take Lloyd to get a proper education and be a sort of… mentor to him. Let him get away from this place. In exchange, you will work for _me_." Lloyd's mouth gaped open.

**Ahh! Stop aching, brain, or I'll render myself unconscious by knocking myself out! (continues whining) …Anyway, did anyone else besides me think this chapter sounded queer to the least? I thought it was not all that good, and I had some major writer's block throughout this to get it to fit with what I have in store. Oh, yeah. I also find creating interactions between Lloyd and Presea quite cumbersome to develop as well… Presea doesn't really talk much, of course. That's what makes it hard to write… (sigh) …Cliffhanger…?**


	4. Meaningful Trust

_Okay. Upon the request of __**Canada Cowboy**__, I have taken the A/Ns out of bolding and into italics. If you people don't like the way the text is now, then screw you. I'm not changing it again._

_Anyway, I was feeling that the last couple chapters were getting a bit too depressing. Heck, it seems like all I have been writing lately were more or less angsty in my opinion! Well… I hope the mood will be somewhat lighter. And it's time to end that cliff from the previous chapter! YAY!_

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_Meaningful Trust_

"…In exchange, you will work for _me_."

All sights rested on the blue-haired man as he kept his cool façade. Lloyd looked absolutely captivated in the conversation at this point. Noishe panted excitedly with his eyes wide with delight. Altessa had the face of uncertainty, not willing to say anything at the moment.

Yuan narrowed his eyes a little with a hint of annoyance. "Hm…? So what's your answer, dwarf?" Altessa stared down with the dilemma on his mind.

_'He is in no position to bribe me. I cannot- …But Lloyd… The boy needs to get away from this village. And he will be given the opportunity for a better education.- A better life… Besides…'_ The graying dwarf took a brief gaze at his son, who merely gaped at the taller man rather dumbfounded. _'He hates me…'_

Altessa shifted his eyes to the floor again, then to Yuan. "…Agreed." He hoped the regret of saying that would not burn him later.

Yuan smirked slightly. "I am glad you have chosen to participate.-"

"But what about Lord-?!"

The blue-haired man expected this would come up and immediately replied, "If you're concerned about your son's safety, I guarantee you, he will be fine. And as for yourself, I will see that you will be protected as well."

The dwarf stepped back and muttered something under his breath.

Lloyd's eyes shone brighter. The meager thought of going with Yuan itched the 9 year old's mind. His mouth hung open; his head slanted to the side. He imagined the outside world beyond Ozette to be a grand and most wonderful place. His imagination concocted several things he thought the world would be like.- What he hopes it would be like, anyway.

Yuan began making his way out the door. As he did, he told Lloyd, "I'll be back tomorrow. Have your things ready by then. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning." He was about to close the door but remembered something. "Oh, and don't go telling anyone in Ozette about your leaving." Lloyd blinked and nodded.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The golden sun was silently setting down before the trees. The wind whispered tales of life and death as the man walked along the stone trail. He came to a halt and reached into his pocket, bringing out a small black box close to his mouth. He switched it on, feedback buzzed through the device.

"…Botta, prepare for my arrival. When I leave again tomorrow, I will put you in charge. Take _him_ to the base once I am gone. Make sure that everything is moving smoothly. We don't want any trouble, now, do we?"

Feedback came through the communicator again, and it was cut off with the deep voice of a man on the other end. _"Understood. And sir, I trust you succeeded in your mission then?"_

The blue-haired man looked to his right, where he saw a wooden cross that has since been under much care. He turned his head away and answered, "…Yes."

Clicking the communicator off, he slid it back into his pocket. He peered far behind him into the only window of the dwarf's home and reassured himself that no one was around. A green-blue light flashed around him and a pair of enchanting blue and pink feathered wings extended out from his back. He was elegantly lifted off the ground, ascending into the sky and flew off with ease…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"WOO HOO! Tomorrow, I will finally be able to see the world, Noishe!" Lloyd was nearly skipping to his room along with Noishe afterward to gather his things for the next day. The huge pet panted and whined at the spiky-haired boy, nudging at him. "…What's wrong boy?"

The dog ran around in circles, trying to get the young boy to understand. He whined un-relentlessly, hoping Lloyd would pay attention.

"…Do you wanna play or something, Noishe? Well, we can't go outside now. It's getting dark. And you know how Dad's like." Noishe let out an unsatisfied whine and gave up. Lloyd shrugged and resumed putting things into a small brown sack for his journey tomorrow.

Altessa listened to his son's humming as he leaned against the wall just outside of Lloyd's room. _'…He looks so glad that he's leaving… I… I just hope I haven't made the wrong decision…'_ The dwarf slinked away from the open entry and headed down to his study, feeling some level of misery.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"YUAN HAS ARRIVED." The green-haired robot stood in front of Lloyd, who was all set and ready to go.

"I'm coming." He made sure he had everything: His swords, his bag of stuff, and lastly, his exsphere. He grabbed his bag and went to greet his official teacher. Tabatha followed behind the boy and stepped beside Altessa. The dwarf lowered his eyes as Lloyd passed him.

It looked as if Noishe beat him there. The green and white animal heavily slobbered the blue-haired man with glee. Of course, Yuan attempted to shoo off the beast, shouting at him. "Ge-Get off of me!" However, Noishe would not let down and kept rubbing his forepaws against Yuan's dark blue cloak.

"Noishe! Heel!" Lloyd commanded. His pet obediently did as he was told and placed all four of his legs back on the floor, whining. Yuan wiped his wet cheek with his gloved hand and grunted in disgust. He was clearly unhappy. He glared at the canine-thing inaudibly, as if he were speaking to him through telepathy saying, _'Shut up, or die,'_ but the fumes were self-evident. Noishe quickly hushed and laid on the ground.

"…Anyway, Lloyd, are you ready?"

Lloyd gave a toothy grin. "Yup!"

Yuan turned and opened the door. "…Then let's go." He exited and prompted Lloyd to hurry up.

"Bye, Dad. Tabatha." The nine year old pushed the stone door open, but an eager Noishe demanded to come along, whining his head off. "No, Noishe. Sit. Stay." The pet whimpered, his eyes begging to go with him. Lloyd shook his head. "Sorry Noishe. You have to take care of Dad and Tabatha for me, okay? I'll come back, don't worry." Lloyd ruffled up Noishe's fur and headed out.

"STAY SAFE, LLOYD." The robotic girl waved farewell unemotionally.

"…Yes. Stay safe…" Altessa trailed off, looking sadder than he initially was.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The blue-haired man raised his head with the slightest confusion. "…So you're not taking N- ah, your _dog_?" He grunted a little like he urged to say something else.

"Yeah. I want him to stay here for now."

"…Good." He murmured peevishly.

Lloyd blinked. "You don't like Noishe or something…?"

Yuan's upper lip twitched as he reminisced about a certain thing that happened to him long ago. "…Well, he did pounce on me in there…" Trying to get that out of his mind, he hurried forward. Lloyd hastily followed his teacher.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The two entered Ozette, for that was the only way to the other side. The quiet town seemed not to care for anything but itself, the worst place in the world where one could be though none seemed to care about the conditions. Around there, _different_ was bad. Aware of this, people who would stand out if they were would try to conceal themselves from persecution. That is why someone with blue hair should not be moving around unnoticed. "…Try not to draw any attention, Lloyd." Yuan pulled his hood over his head. Lloyd did his best not to look suspicious, though he really had no idea why exactly they were being secretive. But since there was really a scarce amount of people actually outside, it was more than easy to slip right past.

They finally reached the village entrance and left. The 9 year old stared back at the old town feeling sad for some reason. The town was still in the dark, while the rest of society was bright and full of wonder. Lloyd wished that they would change some day…

Yuan and Lloyd passed an old wooden bridge that arched over a stream. It looked run down, yet it was surprisingly sturdy. It was likely unused for a time and attracted moss and algae. Even the man-made dirt path was taken over by nature again, grass moving into the once barren patches and filling with colorful flowers. The young boy never knew how beautiful things were until he set off that day. He discovered new things he may have never have seen if he was still trapped in Ozette. The warm sun felt fabulous, unlike at his house where the wind kept it cool. He could not wait until they got to… Wait. He didn't even know where they were traveling to.

"Um, Mr. Yuan, sir…?"

The blue-haired man did not stop walking. "Just call me Yuan."

Lloyd sped up. "Uh, Yuan? Where are we going?"

Yuan stayed silent for a moment and responded, "You will know once we get there…" That left the boy with more questions than answers.

An hour passed. Lloyd was getting worn out from walking for so long. He had to ask. "…Are we there yet…?"

"…Almost."

Relieved, Lloyd raised his head. And soon after, the two stopped before a mass of trees. The forest looked treacherous peering in. Lloyd imagined what it would be like on the inside. "…Wait… This is a forest…" He remembered some legends he heard other children mentioned about a deadly forest of malicious souls; evil spirits that reside there. The forest was supposed to be somewhere east of Ozette… the direction they were going… "W-Wait! Th-This is the Ga-Gaoracchia F-Forest!!!" he stuttered. "Isn't this place… h-haunted…?"

Yuan faced his student. "You do wish to become a better swordsman, correct?" The brunette nodded quietly, recalling his bruises. "Then you need to be exposed to the dangers of what is out there at an early age." _Just as long as it is not too much that he becomes…_ "Let's proceed."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Darkness reigned within the forest. The deeper they went, the more foreboding the forest became. Lloyd was having trouble seeing his way. He squinted, but nothing helped. "…Here." Yuan placed something cold in Lloyd's palm. "I'm giving you a sorcerer's ring… There should be something here that…" The blue-haired man led them to a waist-high structure covered with vines. He approached it with the ring and it glowed white. Yuan handed the ring back to Lloyd and told him to use it. Punching his hand out, the ring expelled a bright light.

"Cool!" Lloyd blasted out more light. "This is awesome!"

"S-Stop playing with that!" Yuan scolded. "We need to preserve the power to get through the forest!"

"Oh. Sorry…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Gaoracchia Forest was called cursed for a reason. Some paths seemed to extend forever, enough to make anyone turn back… if they could find their way, that is. "People die here… That's what I heard."

_'People always die… That's how it is…'_ Yuan thought to himself.

The path twisted and turned. Eyes of yellow and red followed them through the bushels. Nothing attacked them, not then at least. All the two had to rely on was the ring. Soon that ran out…

"It's dark…" Lloyd squeaked.

"I know that. Just follow me."

_"…Fight me…"_ a mysterious voice hissed.

A chill ran through Lloyd's spine. "Did- Did you say that Yuan…?"

_"Fight me… NOW… Fight…!"_ A rush of wind surrounded the two, and…

CHING!!!

Lloyd gaped at the demon before them. Composed of bones of darkness, it towered the two. It had horns that were nearly taller than Lloyd, himself. One of its large jagged swords had clashed with a double edged lance that belonged to Yuan. _'Where did that weapon come from…?How come I never saw him holding that blade before?'_ Yuan appeared to have some difficulty holding back the monster's weapon.

The zombie swung down its other bone arm holding an over large scythe. Yuan swiped at the monster and flipped backward. "Lloyd! Run! I'll catch up to you!"

"But Yuan!"

"RUN! Hurry!"

Lloyd wanted to help, but knew he could not fight the monster with his blunt wooden swords. So he did as he was instructed and ran as far as his legs could take him.

Lloyd was finally far enough away. "…I guess I could go all out now." Yuan mused. He jumped into a tall, nearby tree and rapidly spun his weapon above his head. A mana circle formed below his feet and he chanted. "…Heavenly light… Cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls… Raze them to the ground! JUDGMENT!" The beams of light fell on the opponent though the trees and temporarily stunned it. Yuan took this as his chance to escape.

He sensed that Lloyd was already near the exit. He rushed over there, making sure no monsters were trailing him. When he caught up to the boy, he told him the right way outside.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"…So what happened?"

Yuan leisurely minded the question, but did not give a direct answer. "…It came at me and I managed to get away. That's all."

"Did you kill it?" Lloyd was insistent on knowing.

"No."

"Why?"

"Do I have to say?"

"Yes."

"It would have been a waste of time, okay?"

"And what happened to your weapon?"

Yuan was getting annoyed with the boy and snapped, "Just stop asking questions." He glared him.

Lloyd shut his mouth and strode along the grass, his hands holding the hilts of his swords.

Sometime later… "Hey! It's another town!" blurted the brown-headed one. Cubical buildings of beige and brown sat on the ground. Cement covered the town floor, a steel gate surrounding the supremacies.

"That place is Sybak."

Lloyd pointed at his chin. "Oh, I heard of that place. Super smart people live and work there. Are we going there?"

"No. We're not stopping here."

"But we've been walking for FOREVER!" Lloyd pleaded with his squeaky voice. "Can we rest there?"

"We. Are. Not. Stopping. We should arrive at our destination by nightfall. So. Deal with it." The 9 year old pouted and strutted on.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A few hours more passed, and Lloyd was given no break. It was a surprise to him that Yuan did not seem worn out from traveling. But he did not want to ponder over this because he could not wait to curl up in a ball and take a nap.

Time seemed to drone on by. Lloyd stared at the ground as he walked. He needed to save his energy for if something were to happen. He soon noticed the change of scenery when the ground changed from grass to steel. Raising his head, he gasped. They were on a massive bridge. Other passing travelers would say things like, "The bridge is so pretty with all of these crystals used to construct it," or "Meltokio sure has created a magnificent bridge connecting the continents."

Lloyd stared at the glistening water as the sun began its descent. It was so calm and soothing… It made him yearn for sleep even more. He started to doze off, but his feet seemed to move almost on their own. And he realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast…

"Lloyd… Lloyd!" A hand whapped him on the head.

The boy, startled, hopped up in alert. Yuan gave him a simple look to show that his irritation with him was rising. "…We're here."

"H-Huh?" His teacher gestured Lloyd to look up. It was larger than life to him. The place was just… breathtaking… Gigantic ivory-colored walls protected the city and its inhabitants. Buildings of varying sizes and colors dwarfed the people. Shops were everywhere and people riddled the streets. It was the symbol of the modern world. There was really no word to describe it. "…Whoa…"

Yuan smiled somewhat. "Welcome to Meltokio."

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…_I don't know why, but I suddenly started thinking about Onegai Teacher Snow Angel and Utawarerumono… Anyway, did Yuan seem to be depicted correctly? Or was he too much of an easily annoyed jerk? If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Oh, yeah. I was planning to go on a faves spree once I got this chap up. So if I want to stick you on something, I'll probably either review a chapter I haven't reviewed for to do so, or I'll have to hunt some people down and find out their author number._

_And now for other stuff… Hey, people! Please read/review __**Hiei-Riku-RubedoFAN**__'s work! And all of you Xenosaga people had better read her Xenosaga story as well! Also read/review __**ShinRa Associate**__'s things, too!_


	5. A Glorifying Welcome

_Aw, I still feel sore even two days after a fieldtrip. But at least I can type. Be glad that I am. And in about a week, I'll technically be a high schooler! I hope some of my classes will be harder, though I may regret saying that later… Oh, and thanks to all that reviewed me! It's nice to have so many people reading this story. (nods) …Yeah. And if any of you care to know, I've gone fanatical over this new series called Lucky Star. Although it is all essentially talking, it's just great. It could even become the next Suzumiya Haruhi… (sighs) …Well, we have a chapter to begin!_

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_A Glorifying Welcome_

…This kingdom… Meltokio… There are countless tales where unprecedented prosperity holds no bounds. …Is this true? Or is this the place where wealth rules and the poor are there to suffer…? Do you only get somewhere if you are someone of value…? What does _value_ mean…? If your life means nothing but your title does… how do you act? …What do you become in the end…? Is it because of who you are that you are shunned by all…? Is this where those in higher statuses will be given the ability to help others…? But does the power given corrupt the mind? …Does everyone abide by one who is known by all but seen by none…? Is what you believe in… not true…? A lie… Is this the place where all is supposed to be well…? Or does deceit lurk beyond the shadows…?

Is this not confined to one single place?

…Might this actually be… _our_ world…?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Yuan and Lloyd stood at the gate of the kingdom. This was the capital of the world. The home of many. The ultimate stronghold. Fortified by sturdy walls and protected by brigades of soldiers from within, safety is expected to all who come. Lloyd watched as residents and others passed. He could not even blink, else he will miss something in this new land. He truly never thought such a place of great glamour would have existed on the mortal realm. He was merely an insignificant little dot on the world compared to what stood before him. One would believe that nothing could match this. No one would think there was something else out there that rivaled this.

"…Let's go, Lloyd." The blue-haired man lifted his hood over his head and steadily proceeded forward. The younger boy took a final glimpse around him and followed, his grogginess catching up to him again.

They pushed though the crowds of people. Clamor filled the air. The bustle and business of city life slithered though every street corner and alleyway. Floods of shoppers covered the streets. Getting though the mess of people would be less than a happy experience. And though it was already evening, the boom of people was still present.

Finally, the two found themselves at the base of a horridly large staircase. People sped up and down it to get to their destination. Yuan began climbing up these stairs, which meant Lloyd would have to as well. No eyes seemed to notice the two as they stepped on the higher platform.

Giggles of children not far from Lloyd's own age filled his ears. Potted trees and flowers decorated the huge stone slabs around them. The greenery and color was complimentary to the cheerful day. A water fountain spurted out clear, cold liquid that trickled down to a pool of water almost level to the stone floor. To the right of them were more shops and other buildings. On the left, hordes of people spilled into an area shouting, "It's the battle of a lifetime! We must get to the coliseum!" Those people shoved through a single opening to get inside.

Lloyd stared at the crowd as he continued walking, not paying attention to his front. His foot hit a large block and he tripped. "Whoa!" He landed on the hard surface of more stairs. "Oww…" He slowly got back to his feet. "…Why are there so many stairs…?" he moaned.

Yuan glanced behind him. "Stop playing around. We're almost there."

Not more than a few minutes of getting over the stairs, the blue-haired man stopped. They were at the heart of the kingdom… The castle… It was another architectural accomplishment of all time. Not one flaw seemed to be present. Every stone block was in place. The castle was built both wide all around and to the sky. It was a palace in which only some were even allowed the right to set eyes upon. It housed the king, queen, and princess. The royal family was to be protected at all times. The guards were everywhere. No one who approached would be unnoticed. But still quite a way from the base of the castle, Yuan and Lloyd walked on. They passed rows of flowers that servants were watering. As they went on by, the servants watched them intently. They never said anything, just stared. This made the 9 year old quite uneasy, so he kept his eyes to his feet, letting Yuan do all of the leading.

At last, they reached the entrance of the castle. One more step, and the two guards on duty blocked the way with their iron lances. "Halt! You may not enter the royal castle!"

Yuan stepped closer. "…May we see the King?"

"No, you cannot. You must have an appointment in order to seek an audience of His Majesty Tethe'alla the 18th. Please leave."

"Tch. An appointment. How long will it take to get one?" he asked.

"It is impossible to get one as of right now. His majesty is busy. Now you must leave."

Yuan sighed and found he had no choice. "Hmph… Lloyd… stand back." The boy had a feeling something was about to happen. His mentor raised both arms and a ball of electricity formed at each of his palms.

The two guards gasped. "He's using magic! Are you an elf?!"

He did not answer. "…Now may we enter?" There was a certain convincing tone in his voice that seemed he was serious in what he was doing. The guards feared this elven magic and moved aside. Yuan lowered his hands. "…Thank you… Let's go."

Lloyd looked confused for a moment. _'So Yuan's an elf…?'_ They rushed through the doors as the sun fell behind them.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Any noise seemed like it would echo through the halls of the castle. The ceiling reached far above Lloyd's head. Paintings of nature and portraits hung from the walls. The stone floor was carpeted by a crimson colored fabric with golden trim. Natural light was fading away; torches lit the halls. Yuan seemed to know where to go, for some reason. But periodically he would turn his head. Soon Lloyd could hear indistinctive voices. They became louder as they neared the west wing of the castle.

"…Mother is not well, Chosen. I'm worried about her."

Two young teenagers stood in the open area. One had curly blonde hair with a pink ribbon tying her bangs back. She wore a matching frilly white dress with pink trim and held a fan that she held tightly in her white-gloved hands. At first glance, the other with her appeared to be another girl. But as Lloyd listened and observed, she was not a girl. She was a guy. His wavy red hair was to his back. He had on a white dress shirt and black pants. His shirt tie looked like a choker, but it was loosened.

"Aw, don't worry, Princess. I'm sure your mom's gonna make it through this…"

Yuan walked to the princess. "…Princess Hilda. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but we need to see His Majesty, your father."

The redhead looked at Yuan suspiciously. "Wait wait wait. Exactly _why_ do you need to see the King? Hm? And who are you to walk up to us and ask her to do that?"

Yuan glanced at the teen. "Hm. So you must be the Chosen."

"Yep. Got that right. Zelos Wilder in the flesh."

"Well, this concerns you as well."

The Chosen narrowed his eyes. "Why me?"

"It doesn't matter right now… Princess, we must see your father."

The girl frowned in rejection. "But he's in a meeting right now. I cannot-."

"Tell him this is urgent."

"But why do you need to see him?" she questioned back.

"I think it's best to say once I get an audience with the King."

She was unsure of what to do. "…O…Okay… I shall go ask him… But I'm not sure that he will like this disruption."

"…Take us there."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They were led to the conference room. The King appalled by this interruption when the princess and the others entered. "What is the meaning of this, Hilda?!"

The Chosen answered himself. "This guy over here says he has something reeeaally important to say. He won't say what until he gets to talk to you. So if you don't mind…"

"STOP! Intruders!" Guards and knights barged though the door and surrounded Yuan and Lloyd. "Your Majesty! These two have forced their way into the castle! They may intend to take your life or the Chosen's!"

Yuan scoffed. "You call that force? Those guards at the entrance willingly left us to enter without a fight. And, no. We are not here to kill anyone. I have something you need to know."

The King thought to himself. "…He has gotten though this trouble to get here… Guards, let him say what he has to. If he attempts to attack me in any way, arrest him."

"Yes, Your Majesty. But this one even knows magic. He could be an elf or a half-elf. He might-."

Yuan pulled of his hood. "I will not deny it. I am a half-elf. But I promise you, I am not going to attack you."

Zelos twitched a bit and whispered under his breath, "He's a… _half-elf_…"

The King was quiet for a moment. "…Let him be."

Yuan drew closer to the table in which the King and other politicians and noblemen sat. Lloyd trailed behind, who apparently drew no attention to himself. "Your Majesty… My name is Yuan. This is my apprentice, Lloyd. I have news for you that you need to ensure the survival of this world…"

The King's eyebrows bridged together. "Are you saying something is going to happen to us?!"

Yuan went on. "…Do you know of Sylverant?"

The king pulled on his thick beard. "…The moon?"

"No… Do you know of something that can deprive this world of its mana and lead it to its decline?"

The king did not understand. Everyone else in the room carefully listened, but did not get what was being said as well. "Where are you going with this…?"

"…There is another world… beyond Tethe'alla… that lies parallel to this one. It is named… Sylverant."

The whole room silenced. Then the King spoke up. "That cannot be… how can you prove this?"

"…Just ask your scholars to look into this. They will find that this is true."

The red-haired teen was getting snappy. "Hey! But what does this have to do with me?!" he inquired demandingly.

The half-elf closed his eyes. "There is a Chosen in the world of Sylverant, too… Once the Chosen of Sylverant completes the Journey of Regeneration, the mana in this world that allows the land to be the way it is will flow to their world. Tethe'alla will have a severe mana shortage and the world will corrode. Sylverant and Tethe'alla compete for the mana, and it is the Regeneration process that allows it to transfer over to their world. Since you are a Chosen yourself, that puts you directly in the way of this all."

The King appeared slightly panicked. "We must stop this from occurring!"

Yuan exhaled. "…I have devised a plan… but I need someone to carry it out."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

…_That was shorter than I wanted it… Oh, well. Once my summer starts, I'll be able to type more… Oh, yeah. Lloyd really didn't play an incredible role in this chapter really at all. And I'm pretty sure I know what questions you all may have. Some of how things happened are how I envisioned it. And I am aware of the timeline and sequencing of events. But if you're still wondering about stuff, you can ask. I don't want to really spoil things, so keep your questions to things not so plot-related. I know what I'm going to do for the most part._

_And now for this!_

_Please please PLEASE read __**I.K.A. Valian**__'s stories! All of his stories are great! I highly recommend __The Symphonian Adventure__ and __Tales of Symphonia: Dark Tidings_

_He was my first reviewer ever on FanFic and has helped me get to where I am today! So read/review his fics, or I swear, you will die if you don't!_


	6. As It All Seems

_(groans) My brother has been pressuring me to write an Utawarerumono story and help him make a section for it. But it's not like I have fifty-million fics in mind! I can only think of 5! And since I was kind of fan-girling over it, he even told me that my "fan-girl side seems to have awakened." Tch. That started a few weeks earlier… He even expects me to pair my two favorite characters together! Ewww! No! Benawi belongs to me! ME!_

_(coughs) Well, I have a favor to ask. Can some of you also help out in creating Utawarerumono fics too? I don't wanna have to wait for three years before a section for it opens up. So if you watch it, those of you that watch your streaming videos on YouTube, nope. You can't. I suggest going on Stage 6 or something. But it takes damn long to buffer…_

…_I doubt many of you even read any of that, so if I have to do this all by my lonesome, this will take a while… Well, I'm sure some of you were dying for chapter 6 of __Flipped Sideways__! Yay to me for actually starting to type it! I'm a laaazzyy ass for only working to start and finish it today._

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_As It All Seems_

The single redwood table rested at the center of the rectangular room, several people surrounding it as if it would affect their entire lives. All of the seats were filled with noble men of the kingdom and, of course, the King. The remaining few stood at one side near where His Majesty was, waiting for further response. Guards watchfully stood behind the King in case something would happen. The noble men whispered to each other from ear to ear. The quiet murmur between them filled the spacious room.

What was there to believe? Should they actually find someone to carry out this so called "plan"? It was all up to the King.

Lloyd fidgeted in his spot beside his blue-haired teacher, uncomfortable with the situation. Yuan and Zelos stared at the King while Hilda kept her eyes to her hands. A faceless maid sped through the room to make sure that every candle was properly lit as the sun's final light removed itself from inside the room. Individual discussions continued; everyone was still absorbing it all.

The King made a droning noise as he stoked his thick brown beard in thought. "Hmm… So you need someone, you say… What qualities should this person have in order to execute this mission?"

One of the King's advisors shot up from his chair. "Sire! You cannot be serious! Are you really going to trust this-! This half-elf?!"

"Quiet!" the King ordered. The man sat himself back down respectfully but with his objections. The King closed his eyes. "If it will be for the benefit of our world, I am willing to listen. Now…" He settled down, leaning back in his seat and exhaled. "…Yuan. So who would you need?"

Yuan did not care for what the other man thought and answered the king. "…I would probably need someone with a reasonably good amount of stamina to endure through training," the half-elf began, "…and has enough self-discipline to aid for the kill."

"…So what you need is an assassin to take the Chosen of Sylverant's life."

Zelos didn't really want to listen to this discussion. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. _'So they're basically going to murder the other Chosen, huh. At least I'm not in the place of that sucker…'_

The half-elf acknowledged the King's thoughts. "…Yes." Yuan paused for a second. "…But this is only a precautionary measure… A backup for if another plan should fail."

There was a brief silence in the room for everyone to take in what was going to happen. The quiet was suddenly broken when the red-haired Chosen spoke up. "…I know someone who can do this." Everyone stared at the young Chosen One with another awkward silence.

"…Who is this person, Chosen?"

"Well, she's…"

Princess Hilda shot a glance of hatred at Zelos. "_She_, Chosen? …Oh, please. Not her," she scoffed.

"Then I guess you know who I'm talking about, Princess." He smirked. "She should be at the Elemental Research Laboratory. I'll go and get her if you want."

The King nodded. "Yes. Take her back here. Meanwhile, we are going to continue our conference." He glances at Yuan. "…And I would like you to join, Yuan."

"…Hm." He agreed. "…Lloyd. Since I'll be here, go with the Chosen and meet this person…"

"Okay." Lloyd willingly complied.

"And I trust you don't mind Chosen?"

Zelos waved his hands without concern. "Ah, nah. He can come along."

The princess perked up. "Father! May I please accompany them?"

He shook his head. "It's already dark, Hilda. Thieves roam around at this time, so I don't want you to injure yourself."

Hilda pouted, beginning again in a more high-pitched and deliberate tone. "…But the Chosen will protect me, Father." She tried to look innocent, showing her bright blue eyes. The King sighed and immediately gave in. "Thank you, Father."

Zelos rolled his eyes slightly. "…Talk about a pushover…" he mumbled.

"Did you say something, Chosen?" The blonde princess asked, blinking.

"…No." He exited the room. "C'mon, let's go."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The gaping navy blue sky stretched far beyond into the distance. Specks of twinkling silver lights became visible one after another, filling the world with unmistakable beauty, the captivating world of the heavens. The resting kingdom was quiet except for the buzz of the crickets and the wind passing through. The trio descended from the steps, not really with much hurry.

The redhead seemed to have a skip in his step, carefree and contented. He hummed to himself to drone out all of the sounds of the natural world, and nothing appeared to really bother him. Hilda gazed wholeheartedly at the sky, walking like a proper young lady with her short fluent steps, her bushy petticoat looking like it was constricting her movement somewhat. She actually never visited the lower part of the kingdom where the commoners lived, so she found it quite different there… and dirty. Not the ideal place for her. But it interested her nevertheless. Then there was the youngest there. Lloyd was essentially sleepwalking. He wanted to hurry to a bed… or crash right there. He had difficulty keeping his head up. He was too tired to even yawn. That made him glad that it was Zelos leading the way.

They passed a few houses and the hotel. Some lights were still on and glared through the windows of the buildings. Street lamps and benches were at every corner. The distinctive colors of the city during the day were now dull and not as noticeable, yet the wildlife seemed to be working at its fullest then and almost thriving. But that is what made the kingdom seem so unique during the night.

Zelos swerved his head back after he stopped humming, suddenly boring himself out. "Yo, lil' bud…"

"Zzzzzzzzzzzz…" The brown-haired boy was asleep but amazingly walking subconsciously.

The Chosen made a curt chuckle to himself and poked the younger boy's head. "Whoa. Is he asleep…?" Poke. "Hey, Lloyd. Bud? You awake? Buuuuud." Poke poke poke.

The blonde girl couldn't help but chuckle herself before saying something. "Chosen. I don't think you'll wake him up that way."

"You're right." He took a deep breath and shouted into the boy's ear, "YO, LLOYD! WE'RE ALMOST TO THE LAB!"

Lloyd jumped in panic, getting out of his sleepiness once again. "Uh, wh- wha-?!"

"You're awake!" Zelos exclaimed, his grin screaming, 'This is fun!'

"…S…so we're here, Chosen…?"

"Yup! But don't call me "Chosen"! Since you're my bud, call me Zelos. Now, right this way, little dude!" The redhead marched off with pride, leaving the princess and Lloyd to hurry on after him. "Hey! C'mon, Lloyd!" The Chosen stood at the door of an almost hidden away building. There were no windows whatsoever, but you could tell that there were still people inside with the sight of light under the entrance door.

The two others caught up. One was still distraught, while the other was in pain.

"Ch-Chosen! Honestly. Do you know how hard it is to run in heels?!" Hilda huffed.

"Oh, yeah… Heels…" He made it sound as if he actually knew… "Well, we should get inside."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A young-looking woman glanced at the three from behind a counter as they entered. "Welcome to the Elemental Research Laborator-… Chosen One? What are you doing here at this time of night?" she questioned.

"I'm lookin' for Sheena."

"Oh, well she should be in the basement along with the others."

"Thanks, hun," he winked. The girl was suddenly flushed with redness, staring wide-eyed at the ground.

She bowed stuttering, "Y-you're welcome, Chosen." As the trio headed down the stairs, the woman started squealing, "Ah! The Chosen spoke to me! Oh, he's so hot," and was almost floating with glee.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Blaring lights flashed everywhere; the room felt like a desert. The pale brown walls were masked with paperwork and research. Shelves were cluttered with several books that were not exactly organized there. Machines lined the walls, several complicated equipment attached. Bubbles and steam blew out of a pipe, and purple haze enveloped a plant in a glass container. Electricity sparked about where two people wearing lab coats were recording data carefully. In another corner, a man was hunched over, propping up his chin with his hand, and analyzing something in a Petri dish. Flasks filled with a sickly green ooze was attached to a tube on the bottom that sucked it into a mixture of red liquid little by little.

All of the scientists had more or less pointed ears that some covered with their hair. They seemed to give off much stress from their deprivation of sleep but still vigilant to complete what they were doing. It seemed like they had to work, despite other things they may have preferred to do.

"Are they all half-elves…?"

"Yeah …They always seem to be on the job, 24/7. Research this… Experiments that…" Zelos remarked to the others. "…Now, where's Sheena…?" He scanned the room and locked on to his unsuspecting target. "Ah!" he dashed off.

The princess had a disgusted look on her face as she covered her nose. "Ugh! What a putrid stench! It's absolutely foul!" A female scientist glanced over her shoulder to see the two standing near her.

"…Who are you?" She stared at Hilda, questioningly. Her face scrunched up at the sight of the blonde girl. "…Uh… You know that you… um… you shouldn't be wearing a dress in here, right? It can easily catch on fire…" The blonde princess gasped and stepped a safe distance away by the stairs. "…So what are you doing here, anyway?"

"We're here with Zelos to get someone." The 9 year old responded.

The scientist stared at him. "What? The Chosen is here too?"

"Yeah… But I don't know where he's gone, really…" He scratched his head.

"Oh. Well, you can go find him. Just don't mess with anything, please."

Hilda put her un-open fan to her face. "I'll stay here," she volunteered. Lloyd was not even paying attention to her anyway, so he searched the enclosed area for Zelos.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lloyd walked through piles of papers and around wooden tables, and picked up the familiar voice of a certain Chosen.

"…You know this is a good way for your people to be, like, un-banished or something."

"…I know, but…"

There was Zelos speaking to a girl a few inches shorter than him. Their conversation with each other was evidently on for a while, but the 9 year old let them continue.

Lloyd could only see the back side of the girl since she was facing away from him, but when she spoke, her voice sounded powerful, yet like a sweet melody. Her raven hair was tightly tied up, prickling out from the back of her head. She wore a sleeveless purple robe and had a pink obi wrapped above her waist and tied in a bow. She had matching purple arm-length gloves with finger holes that extended up her forearm. Her boots were perfectly fitted, straps securing them on. She was a young girl, but she was a little tall for her age and had more of a matured figure than someone else a couple years older than her would.

She was not exactly bickering with the scarlet-haired teen, just kind of frank with her words. The Chosen's face was not all too serious, anyway.

"…But how are you sure they'd want _me_ of all people, Zelos?"

"Because! You've got the skills to do this _and_ you also have," A smile ran across his face, "your already voluptuous body." The fingers on Sheena's right hand twitched at her side a couple times then came up and swiftly delivered a hard and justified smack to the older boy on top of his head. "OW!" He winced at the pain.

"I told you to NEVER say that again!!!" she thundered.

The Chosen rubbed his head. "…Damn, how can you hit so hard...?" He peeked his eyes open, and saw Lloyd. He had witnessed it all. "Oh, Lloyd! You're here just in time!"

The girl, slightly startled, turned around. "…Huh?" Her maroon eyes locked with Lloyd's brown ones. She was now a gentle being who looked compassionate and caring. Her mouth was open as she saw the young boy, still wondering if this was who Zelos was speaking of. "So you're Lloyd?"

"Uh-huh. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out and the girl accepted it, the two shaking hands in greeting.

"Oh, I'm Sheena. Sheena Fujibayashi."

Zelos went along, smiling. "Ah, the happy introductions."

Sheena sighed with annoyance. "…So you've been stuck with this idiot for how long, Lloyd?" She gestured at Zelos with her thumb.

The redhead tried to look hurt. "Aw, don't be that way Sheena… Lloyd and I are buds." She reverted back to shouting once she began talking to Zelos, which somehow translated to them heading back to the stairs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"…What the hell is she doing here?!" Sheena demanded. She and Hilda glared at one another.

"Hm? Is it wrong that I wanted to come, Miss Fujibayashi?"

"Very."

The princess folded her arms and pouted. "Hmph. Too bad. I'm here, and that is what's important, right Chosen One?"

"Aw, I can't stand to see two of my hunnies fighting. So why don't we leave now, huh."

"…Fiiine."

The four began walking up the stairs to be stopped by one of the scientists. "Sheena! I'd like you to do something."

"What?"

"…Could you show His Majesty Corrine for us?"

"Sure," she agreed. The scientist went back to work as the others headed back up.

"Who's Corrine?" Lloyd asked.

Sheena smiled simply. "…He's one of my good friends." That was all she responded with.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There were a series of slaps and arguments between a certain three as they got to the entrance, and the youngest tried to stay out of their way. The girls were near striking at each other, if it weren't for them venting it out on the redhead. Zelos did not let that get him down. So to lift everyone's spirits, he suggested one thing:

"Let's have a grand tour of the city!!!"

The three rejected the idea at that very moment. But _nooo_. He was determined to do this right that night.

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_Oh, my gosh. This was more of a filler-type than an actual chapter. And much of that dialogue was not what I really wished it to be… I didn't even put all of the detailing I would have wanted to... You can all probably tell... I've been very delirious typing this... so… (sigh) Well, deleting that from my brain, I got a haircut! Yes!! …Wondering why I'm hyped about that stupid thing…? Well, my hair is no longer to my fuckin' knees! One and a half feet of hair was chopped off, finally. But it feels weird not having super-long hair anymore… And then there's my brother. He refuses to get a haircut. And he looks like Zelos for hell's sake!!! I noted that to him, and he was like, "You're right!" …Idiot. And he's been complaining that he needs something to tie his hair up. I offer him one of my scrunchies but he says they're too frilly. Then he's talking about growing out his hair even more and to look like Asch! Geez! But he knows that it's not really possible since we all have wavy hair. Blame our Spanish blood for the dominance over our Asian side… … … … …_

…_I wanna cookie. If you want a cookie too, review and I'll attempt to conjure one out of the blue! (randomly does the Haruhi Dance) And I agree with __**Fehize**__, we're all review addicts deep inside and you know it! So REVIEW!_

…_I'm having hallucinations now… I just typed that whole thing for 8 hours straight… aahhh…_


	7. Chapter 7

I know it's been months since I was on this site. I apologize. I'll still be part of this site, but I just can't be dealing with typing my stories this year. It's not because of school, as some of you assumed the reason was of my absence. I'd like to formally thank all of you that reviewed my, but my time right now is a little constricted. I'll manage fitting it in sometime. So sorry! When I do get to type, I'll only be making rewrites for now. Those will end up on my DeviantArt. It's set as my homepage. But if you're lazy, type this: http://dawnstarshine deviantart com/ (add periods in the spaces) If you really want to know the real reason I can't be typing these fics any time soon, just ask. I'll only be able to contact people sparsely through the year, though. Don't let my extended absences make you believe I'm… not alive.


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